The field of the invention is disposable sterilized covers and the invention relates more particularly to sterilizible video camera covers used with endoscopes.
In the past, video cameras used with endoscopes had to be completely sterilized. Various covers have been developed to eliminate this need. One such cover is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,196. This cover utilizes an elongated drape which has an aperture at its camera end which is centered utilizing a resilient elastomeric ring placed over the coupling. It is, of course, important that the ring be accurately centered and the opening provides the possibility of a lack of sterility. Two other approaches are shown in this same patent. One is shown in FIG. 6 where a pair of disks each have a central aperture. Portion 40 may be a separate end section or thin film exposed between the disks 42 and 46. The third embodiment shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,196 is a rigid or semi-rigid optically clear molded portion 50 which is preformed in the shape of a cup which is placed over the intersection between the coupling and the endoscope. By using a rigid or semi-rigid optically clear material, the drape cannot be fully folded and the possibility of bending or wrinkling the optically clear material exists.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,914,521 utilizes a two-part coupling. One part goes over the camera and supports a flexible drape and the other part is the flexible drape adhered to the elongated coupling. This construction is, of course, limited to a particular camera and also cannot be folded into a flat configuration for storage and shipping.